Expect the Unexpected
by Mylinda Antoinette
Summary: An apparent malfunction in Voyager's security systems and a level 2 diagnostic revealing nothing to be wrong leaves the crew baffled, until something happens several weeks later. Takes place two years before they return home. Pairings: Kx7xD, JxC, TxP
1. Security Alert

Expect the Unexpected

A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction

By: Mylinda Antoinette

Summary: An apparent malfunction in the security systems onboard Voyager and a level 2 diagnostic revealing nothing to be wrong with the security leaves the crew baffled, until something happens a few weeks later. Takes place two years before they return home. K7, JC, TP.

Author's Note: This story was inspired partly by the episode "Night" and partly by my own insane mind. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

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Author's Note (Supplemental): I would like to apologize for the incongruencies in this first chapter. Unfortunately, I haven't seen very much of the series and haven't seen many episodes past season 2 yet. I have been watching the show every day and will continue to do so. In the meantime, if you find anything that doesn't match, please let me know. I would like to dedicate the redone chapter to JadziaKathryn as a thank you for pointing out the minor issues in this first chapter. And one other note: for the purposes of my story, Kathryn has not yet discovered that Mark has moved on and married someone else. She will not discover this fact until they return to the Alpha Quadrant. I would also like to thank Jedipilot24 for sending me a website for calculating Stardates. From this point on, all my Stardates should be accurate! Anyway, now, you may read the FIXED version of Chapter 1: Security Alert!

Oh, and one more thing... I would also like to thank maquisrebels for reviewing on the story!

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Chapter 1: Security Alert

Lieutenant Tuvok was working the late shift at 0200 hours in the security offices aboard the Starship Voyager. The latest estimates had put their arrival back in the Alpha Quadrant at fifty years from the present date. The trip had been faster than originally expected so far, thanks to the help of a lot of research and friendships and alliances forged with many other species along the way. There was still quite a long trip ahead of them, but the entire crew was getting excited, with the obvious exceptions of Tuvok and Seven of Nine. Captain Kathryn Janeway couldn't wait to see her beloved Mark again. Ensign Wildman was looking forward to being reunited with her husband and being able to introduce their daughter. And Ensign Harry Kim was excited to see his love, Libby, once again. Most of the crew was experiencing feelings of this kind, but a few, including Kathryn herself, wanted to stay with Voyager. Kathryn planned to be reunited with Mark and to take him back with her. She had grown attached to the old ship after so many years aboard. It held so many memories of friendships created and lost, and it seemed almost a memorial to the hard times they had suffered through. Commander Chakotay also planned to stay on as first officer.

Tuvok was drawn from his thoughts by a security alert flashing on the monitor in front of him. The computer had detected an intruder in the Captain's quarters. He activated his combadge.

"Tuvok to bridge." He only needed to wait a moment before the Commander's voice responded.

"Yes, Tuvok, this is Chakotay. Is there a problem?"

"Commander, the computer has detected an intruder in the Captain's quarters."

"An intruder? What kind of intruder?"

"Unknown. The computer detected a transporter signature in her quarters that does not match the frequency used by the Federation, and more importantly, by this ship."

"A transporter? How can that be? There are no ships close enough to have beamed someone onboard, and the nearest Class M planet is more than fifty light-years from here!"

"I do not know, Commander."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Tuvok. Check out the Captain's quarters, I'll have a look for anything that transport could have originated from."

"Understood." Tuvok motioned to two of the security guards and they followed him. They arrived seconds later at Captain Janeway's door and pushed the chime, knowing that she would be sleeping at this hour and doing it out of respect for her. They also knew they would have heard the sound of a transporter beaming someone away.

There was no response. They pushed the chime again. This time, they got an answer.

"Come in," said a weary voice that they knew belonged to their Captain. They entered. "What's going on, Mr. Tuvok?" she inquired from where she stood by her bed getting her robe on.

"Our security systems detected a transport signature in these quarters. Are you all right?" Tuvok inquired of his friend.

"Yes, thank you, Tuvok, I'm fine. But there hasn't been anybody in here except me." She seemed to think for a moment. "Tuvok, I'd like you to run a level 2 diagnostic on the security systems. Let me know if anything shows up."

"Understood," he replied. As the security officers left, the Captain's combadge sounded.

"Bridge to Captain Janeway. Are you all right?" She tapped her badge to respond.

"Yes, Commander, go ahead."

"Captain, you are needed on the bridge."

"On my way." She pulled off her nightgown and slipped into her Starfleet uniform and boots. She was on her way to the bridge when Voyager was rocked by a phaser blast. The ship went instantly into red alert as she bolted for the bridge, making it a few seconds later.

"Captain on the bridge," Harry announced as she stepped inside.

"As you were," she said, running down the steps to the center of the bridge and taking her place in the Captain's chair. "Damage report."

"Shields are down to 80 percent, reports of minor injuries on decks 10 and 11, nothing serious, though," Harry replied. Kathryn hit her badge.

"Senior officers, report to the bridge!"

"Captain, I don't think that blast was intended to hit us," Chakotay said suddenly.

"What?" Kathryn asked incredulously.

"Think about it, Captain. It was only one blast. If they had hostile intentions toward us, they would have already hit us again or sent us a warning of another kind."

"Captain, I have just detected a second ship decloaking ahead," Lieutenant Tom Paris said. "It appears to have decloaked as a result of damage to its cloaking device." The captain looked up in surprise and slowly stood from her seat.

"Onscreen," she replied in a low voice. The picture showed up on the bridge's viewscreen. Two starships were in the vicinity, of different origins.

"Captain, long-range scans indicate that the transporter aboard one of the ships matches the frequency detected in your quarters just prior to this," Tuvok informed her.

"Hail them," she replied. He attempted to hail them.

"No response," he reported. Kathryn turned and sat down.

"Well then, in that case… Lieutenant Paris, resume course for the Alpha Quadrant," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am, but shouldn't we help them first?" he inquired.

"Tom Paris, you know as well as I do that that would be a direct violation of the Prime Directive," Kathryn replied with a disapproving shake of the head.

"Captain," he said after resetting the course and swiveling around to face her, "permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," she said after a moment.

"Captain, I feel that this situation became our business the moment we were hit. And you heard Tuvok; one of those ships beamed something into your quarters. A little investigation couldn't hurt," he explained.

"Mr. Paris, we've already established that the opposing vessel was firing blind. And we don't know for sure that anything _was_ beamed into my quarters. I certainly didn't see anything. It could have just been a systems malfunction," Kathryn responded.

"Captain, with all due respect, it doesn't make a lot of sense to assume that there was only a systems malfunction when we registered a transporter signature matching the one recorded in your quarters earlier. Don't you want some answers?"

"Captain, I must admit, his statements do have a certain logic to them. And if you want answers, we will have to render assistance to the crippled ship. That was the ship from which I registered the transport signature," Tuvok replied.

"Thank you for your input, Tuvok, but I really don't see the need. I'm perfectly fine, so I don't see any reason to interfere in their internal affairs, which would constitute a violation of the Prime Directive." She looked at Ensign Kim. "Stand down red alert. All hands, you may return to your previous activities." She looked over at Chakotay and smiled slightly, looking almost amused. "Do you want me to take over now so that you can get some rest?"

"Thank you, Captain, but I'm just fine. I'd like it if you'd report to Sickbay, though, just so the doctor can take a look at you and make sure you're all right. I just want to make sure that nothing happened, just to prove that our theory about nothing happening is correct," he replied.

"Oh, good Lord, do I really have to? Chakotay, it's too early to listen to the Doctor complain…" she groaned in reply. He grinned his traditional grin and nodded.

"Humor me, Captain. I'm just worried about you, that's all. You're the only captain we've got on board and we need you in good health. I really don't want to become ship's captain because you're dead," he said jokingly.

"Oh, fine. But if it was anyone other than you or Tuvok I wouldn't go; you know that, right?" she replied, teasing him.

"Oh, believe me, Captain, I know it all too well," he grinned. She stood up, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Commander, you have the bridge," she said as she left and headed off in the direction of Sickbay.

* * *

"You're perfectly healthy, Captain. There is absolutely nothing you need to worry about. I'd like it if you'd come in again in a month, though, just to make sure that nothing else develops," the Doctor announced a half an hour later.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'd better return to my quarters now. Make the appointment and let me know when to drop by," she replied, sliding off the biobed and leaving Sickbay. As she returned to her quarters she passed several young couples returning to their quarters from their duty shifts. It was now 0301 hours and the new shifts had just started. She smiled as she saw them whispering softly to each other.

She stopped outside her quarters and was about to enter when she realized that she suddenly missed Mark again. It had been a while since the last time she had thought about him. She had tried to push him out of her mind, since it would not do any good for her to be thinking about him while trying to do her duty, and because it would be a while still before she could see him again. Obviously, she hadn't totally succeeded.

At last she reentered her quarters. She sat down to make a log entry.

"Captain Janeway's Personal Log, Stardate 52734.6. It has been a long journey for us all, filled with the perils and uncertainties of daily living in an uncharted region. I am sorry to have to admit, as ship's captain, that even though we are getting closer to home, I, too, am beginning to lose hope. I miss my dear friend, my fiancé, Mark. And I am growing uneasy. As more time passes, I am beginning to fear that perhaps Mark has given up hope. We left no trace behind when we got lost in the Delta Quadrant. For all I know, Starfleet has informed our families that we are dead. I don't know what I will do if I get home and find out that Mark has given up on me and married another. I hope that I will be able to adapt. And strangely, I find myself thinking more and more about my desire to have children someday. I won't be young enough to have children forever. I'm already in my thirties. I can only hope that we will make it home soon. End log."

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Okay, I'm sorry for ending it there, but I needed an appropriate place to end it so I didn't go too far with the first chapter. My goal for this story is 15 chapters and 100 reviews. Please, help me reach this goal by reviewing on every chapter! The next chapter will be posted as soon as I get it finished. This is my new top priority project. This is the most interesting story idea I've come up with yet, so… yeah. I will update as soon as I can. I will also be working on another story, though, so don't expect updates on this one TOO often. See you at "Chapter 2: The Party"!


	2. The Party

Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry for taking so long to update... this chapter is really long, and it took me a while to work through my writer's block. That stuff sucks. Anyway, here's Chapter 2: The Party! It should be more consistent with the original timeline since I have now seen all of the first six seasons, and I've seen several from Season 7. Still, if you see something wrong, please let me know- I haven't had time to go over and really correct this chapter yet.

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Chapter 2: The Party

"Lieutenant Torres, anything to report from Engineering?" Captain Janeway inquired later that week during the next briefing session. All senior officers were present as usual.

"No, Captain, everything's working at peak efficiency. The warp coils are in perfect condition, the magnetic constrictors are aligned to the letter…" B'Elanna replied.

"How are things in Security, Mr. Tuvok?" the captain asked, directing her question at the Vulcan sitting near her.

"Everything is in optimal condition," he responded calmly.

"Commander Chakotay, has there been any serious disciplinary action taken that we should know about?" Kathryn inquired, almost hoping to find that something had gone wrong. Things were starting to get a little boring aboard Voyager.

"Not at all. On the contrary, everyone has been working together exceptionally well. There hasn't been so much as an unkind word heard on the ship all week," he admitted.

"Well then, it would seem this briefing is over, unless anyone has anything they would like to add."

"Captain, if I may?"

"Go right ahead, Neelix," she eagerly invited him.

"Well, Captain, I've noticed that lately the crew's morale has been dropping slightly. Tensions are rising among crew members and it's taking them all they've got to work things through with crew members they have problems with. As the morale officer, I propose a preventative measure to ensure that the crew morale returns to normal." He paused. "I think we should have a party."

"A party? What would we be celebrating?" Tom asked.

"I don't know, uh… wait a minute, isn't Ensign Wildman's birthday coming up?" he suggested in a sudden inspiration.

"Oh, yes! Samantha's birthday is a week from today. She'll be twenty-seven," Kathryn agreed. "I think a party is a splendid idea, Neelix, but don't let her know. Tell her closest friends, but let's make it a surprise party!" All the members in attendance nodded in agreement. "Well then, Neelix, a party it is. I think this will lift everyone's spirits! You go ahead and make the arrangements. You are all dismissed." Everyone except Chakotay stood and left.

"Captain, may I see you in your ready room?" he inquired. Kathryn's face took on a look of concern.

"Absolutely, Commander," she replied, motioning for him to follow her. They left the briefing room and crossed the bridge to her ready room. She sat in the seat behind her desk. "Now, what is the problem?"

"Captain, I'm concerned about Tom and B'Elanna," he said bluntly. They seem to be arguing a lot more than usual lately and I feel that it's beginning to affect their performances as officers, as well as those who are working closely with them. Even Harry's been a little testy with me lately."

Janeway gave him a half-smile. "Chakotay, you know perfectly well that couples have their disagreements from time to time, and sometimes they have a harder time working through some problems than others. Besides, there isn't much I can do about it besides relieve them of duty and confine them until they can work things out between themselves, and I'm not prepared to do that yet. We're not out of Hirogen space yet, and I need the Chief Engineer in case anything goes wrong and my best pilot at the helm in case of an emergency. I'll think of something, Chakotay. Don't worry about it." She smiled at him. "Dismissed!" Then she paused. "Unless, of course, you'd fancy a cup of coffee first!"

* * *

The party was held the next week. It was a huge success, and Ensign Wildman was extremely pleased at the thoughtful gesture. All of the senior officers came, as well as all of her other friends. Some of them brought gifts for Naomi as well as for her, and that helped with making the experience pleasant for Naomi, too.

She was conversing happily with Kathryn as they watched the other crew members interacting peacefully with each other. Neelix had been right- a party had been exactly what they needed. Kathryn was sharing her memories of _her_ twenty-seventh birthday, which they had celebrated only two weeks before she was called to serve on Voyager, and Samantha was chipping in whenever she felt she had something to contribute, when all of a sudden, Kathryn stopped talking and stumbled as though she had lost her balance.

"Captain?" Samantha asked worriedly. "Are you all right?" A moment later, Chakotay was there. He, too, had noticed.

"Captain, what's wrong?" he inquired gently, grabbing each of her arms with one of his to steady her.

"Nothing's wrong, Chakotay. I just got a little dizzy all of a sudden, that's all."

Chakotay's brows furrowed. "Dizzy? That can't be good. Let me get the doctor."

"No! I'm fine, Chakotay, I sw-"

Her reply was cut off when she stumbled again, her eyes rolling back in her head as she pitched forward and collapsed in a dead faint. An outcry arose from the crew around them as they stepped back and saw their Captain had collapsed.

"Stupid, stubborn woman," Chakotay muttered under his breath. "All right, everybody, back up!" As the crew cleared a path from him to the door, he scooped the Captain up into his arms and ran out the door after asking Samantha to call the Doctor on her combadge and let him know to expect a patient.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kathryn awoke on one of the biobeds in Sickbay to see Chakotay smiling down at her. "Why, hello there, Captain Stubborn." The snort of amusement that came from the Doctor made her frown as she sat up.

"What happened? What am I doing here?" she inquired, rubbing the back of her head.

"You passed out during Samantha's party," he explained, chuckling a little. "You gave us all quite a scare, Captain. I must confess that you scared the heck out of me- to the point where I committed insubordination. I muttered something to the effect of you being a 'stupid, stubborn woman'." She couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Well, normally, I would have to throw you in the brig for that, but considering the fact that you were right, I guess I'll have to let it slide." She grinned as she saw him present her with his trademark grin.

"I guess I'm lucky to be on such good terms with the Captain, then, huh?"

The two laughed as the Doctor moved over to them to scan Kathryn again. "Well, Captain, I can't seem to find anything physically wrong with you except for a slight case of space sickness," the Doctor informed her. "I'm surprised you haven't had it yet, but it has been known to happen, especially when a person has been in space as long as we have." He gave her a stern warning against overexertion before pressing a hypospray to her neck. "This will help with your space sickness as well as preventing lightheadedness. You may return to your duties."

"Thank you, Doctor," she said before swinging her legs off the bed. Chakotay moved to help her down, but she just glared at him. "Chakotay, I'm not an invalid. I can get down by myself."

"I'm just making sure. Last time you told me you were fine, you ended up passing out before you'd even finished your sentence," he replied, showing a bit of annoyance about the situation for the first time. A concerned look appeared on her face and she nodded, allowing him to help her down and escort her out of Sickbay. When they were out, he grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her down the hall, leading her all the way to her quarters. He pulled her inside before grabbing her with both hands and sitting her roughly down on her couch.

"What in the name of all that is holy were you thinking, Kathryn?! How could you do something like that to me and the crew? That was irresponsible and arrogant of you to feign that you were all right when you knew perfectly well that it wasn't true!" he shouted at a cringing Kathryn. "Do you have any idea how much it worries us when you put yourself in danger like that, or when you try to pretend that everything's all right when we know it's not? I was afraid you were dying, Kathryn! Do you have any idea what that thought does to me? You have been this ship's Captain for the last five years, and it was you that kept us all together! I could never be half the Captain you are, and when I think that I might have to take over for you someday, it pains me, both my heart, because I would be losing a dear friend whom I have come to count on, and my mind, because, like I said, I am not ready to captain this ship! When you passed out, it scared the crap out of me!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her once or twice. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Kathryn!"

When she saw the fear evident in his eyes, she began to cry. She didn't understand why she was suddenly crying. She couldn't immediately recall another occasion when she had cried in front of another crew member like this. But it clearly had an effect. His face immediately softened, and he looked down as he turned and sat down next to her, sighing. "I'm sorry, Kathryn. I didn't mean to upset you like this. It's just that…" his voice trailed off and he turned to look at her and had to put his arm around her to comfort her. "You just really scared me, you know? I was so worried about you, and so was the rest of the crew. We care deeply for you, and we can't lose you. You haven't been taking very good care of yourself lately, and it looks like it's starting to have an effect." He gently reached out and lifted her chin with his finger, so that he could see her face. "We just don't want anything bad to happen to you! Promise me you'll take better care of yourself." Kathryn looked down and nodded.

"I promise, Chakotay," she whispered, deeply moved by his words. She hadn't realized that the crew cared that deeply for her. But why should they? After all, it _was_ her decision that got them all stuck out there, lost in that uncharted, dangerous region filled with daily perils. Two children had been born since their arrival in the Delta Quadrant, and a tactical vessel alone wasn't a good place for a child to grow up, much less the Delta Quadrant.

"Good Lord, there I go again. All I can think about is my desire for children when there's so much more at stake," she thought to herself. She was roused from her musings by Chakotay's voice.

"Good. And I intend to hold you to that. I want you to go get yourself cleaned up while I replicate a nutritious, coffee-free meal for you. You drink far too much of that stuff," he reprimanded her sternly upon seeing the incredulous, warning look on her face.

"Funny," she remarked with a hint of laughter in her voice, her spirits much roused as she slipped into her private bathroom, "I don't recall you asking permission to speak freely." She didn't need to see his face to know that a look of mock shame drenched in amusement was on his face- she had already seen it on his face many times over the last five years.

* * *

A few days later, Chakotay invited Kathryn to the holodeck to play a few rounds of Velocity. They had a lot of fun, and each of them won a couple of times.

"I think you're losing your touch, Captain," he chuckled as they left several hours later. She laughed in reply, giving him a mock glare as she mopped the back of her neck with the towel she had brought with her.

"Now, now, now, what do you mean by that, Commander?" she inquired, grinning.

"Nothing really. It's just that if I'd asked you to play a couple of weeks ago, you would have won every round," he replied, the grin on his face matching the one on hers. Somehow, looking at her standing there, all sweaty, with her hair going every which way and her breathing coming in short, panting gasps, she still seemed to him to be the most beautiful woman in the universe.

"Well," she remarked, drawing him from his thoughts as she gave him what would have been a disapproving glance if not for the smile on her face, "that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm losing my touch. Perhaps you're getting better!"

"No, Chakotay, bad idea," he silently scolded himself. "This woman is your commanding officer! Your relationship is purely professional and can never be anything else!" Out loud, he said, "Or perhaps you've just been working too hard to come and practice!"

She sent another fake glare in his direction which was interrupted by her laughs. "Touché. So what was that all about?" she inquired.

"I just figured you hadn't been able to get in any quality exercise with how quiet things have been lately," he simply stated.

She laughed again as she looked at him. "You weren't kidding about holding me to my promise, were you?"

He grinned back at her. "No, ma'am!" They laughed together once more before heading their separate ways to their quarters.

* * *

Two more weeks passed. Chakotay seemed to be succeeding in getting Kathryn to lead a healthier lifestyle. She was eating better and exercising more, and she even seemed to be drinking a little less coffee, to the surprise of the entire crew. Neelix was more surprised than anyone when she came in one afternoon and requested a Vulcan spice tea instead of her usual black coffee.

The other senior officers were awakened two hours before their shift was to start by Harry Kim, who was serving as Bridge Captain in yet another night shift. When they arrived on the bridge, replacing the junior officers on duty, Harry explained that they had detected a Class M planet with enough deuterium to keep them stocked for a year at maximum warp. The planet was inhabited by a pre-warp civilization that owned the mining rights for all the minerals, and he felt that Kathryn, as the Captain, should lead the negotiations

"Thank you, Harry. You did the right thing, but surely you know I'd trust you with the negotiations," she teased him, patting him on the back. She sat in her chair and turned to Chakotay. "So how do you recommend we proceed?"

"Well, we could start by offering them a tour of our ship, and then going from there," he suggested.

"Sounds good," she agreed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Mr. Kim, send a standard greeting and explain that we'd like to negotiate for some deuterium and that we have no hostile intentions. Mr. Paris, take us into orbit."

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused in unison. Several minutes later, they were hailed from the planet's surface.

"I am Hashi Metsak, ruler of Knollsh," said the dark-skinned creature on the viewscreen.

"And I am Captain Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. I assume, then, that you have received our message," she greeted him.

"Absolutely! We are honored that you wish to open a trade agreement with our people!" Hashi replied boisterously. "When may we begin negotiations?"

Kathryn grinned at Chakotay. "Whenever you are ready," she responded, holding her arms out in a welcoming gesture.

"Excellent, Captain Janeway," he agreed excitedly. "In that case, I am ready to begin now!"

"Good! We can arrange transport for you to our vessel. You may bring anyone you wish with you."

"All right, I will contact you when my advisors and I are ready." The transmission ended.

Half an hour later, Hashi and his three advisors were beamed to the ship. They all admired Voyager to no end, and requested a tour before beginning negotiations. This, of course, was a request happily granted by Kathryn, and she and Chakotay led their visitors on a guided tour.

An hour later, the tour was completed and their guests were led to the briefing room. They spent five additional hours discussing terms and making compromises. Several times the Knollshi asked for items in return that were totally unacceptable, and they felt at times that Voyager was making unfair requests. Finally they reached an agreement that suited both sides: the Knollshi would grant them the amount of deuterium they required in return for two replicators, the schematics for the anti-matter waste purifying system, and copies of data gathered from Astrometrics on two nebulas and six planets in their vicinity. Hashi warned them that it would take several hours to finish mining the requested amount of deuterium, and Kathryn offered to send some of her crew to help. The help was graciously accepted, and an hour later, Hashi, his advisors, and six of Voyager's crew beamed back to the planet's surface. Kathryn returned to the bridge along with Chakotay, and they monitored the progress from there.

Even with some of Voyager's crew helping, the work was slow and time-consuming, and they had to work well into the night, which didn't make a difference in the mines. At 2340 hours, Chakotay and Kathryn still sat on the bridge, over 18 hours after they had been awakened by Harry. Both had decided to remain on the bridge to monitor the progress personally, especially since Harry had been part of the away team. Chakotay had just finished reviewing a crew report, and he turned to speak to Kathryn about it. She didn't respond. He leaned a little closer to her.

"Kathryn?" he inquired gently. There was still no response. He reached out and touched her shoulder, and she started awake.

"What? Oh, sorry, Chakotay," she apologized.

"No apology necessary. Why don't you go to your quarters and get some rest? I've got things covered up here for now, and I'll call you when they're finished," he gently offered.

"All right, Chakotay. Thanks," she agreed, standing and stretching as she yawned before leaving the bridge.

Chakotay had to admit, this worried him. Kathryn had never fallen asleep while on duty before, at least not in the time he had known her. And even worse was the fact that she had willingly agreed to leaving the bridge.

He shook the thought away. He could worry about Kathryn later. Right now, the away team needed him to be alert so he could help them if needed.

* * *

Okay guys, the next chapter is finished, and Chapter 4 is maybe halfway done. They just need to be typed. I'll need 8 reviews before the next chapter. And if you want to guess what's going on, PM me, don't review with it, and you have to provide not only what's going on, but an explanation for how and why you think it happened. See you for the next chapter, Diagnosis: Isolation!


	3. Diagnosis: Isolation

* * *

Sorry this update took so long! The remainder of this chapter that I had written magically disappeared. So I just rewrote it, and while the rewrite of this chapter is a bit shorter, I actually like it better than the original, and it cuts off right when the original did! So enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: Diagnosis: Isolation

The negotiations were successful, and eight hours later, the trade was completed. The entire crew of Voyager was grateful to have made friends. But things were about to change- drastically.

Over the course of the next two weeks, the crew started to see less and less of the Captain. She seemed much more tired than usual. The doctor finally ordered her to rest, telling her that she was working herself too hard and needed to take some time off to de-stress. She was forced to take the next week off. When the week was over, she returned to Sickbay so the doctor could okay her to work again.

When she exited again, she seemed to be in a daze. She walked toward her quarters as if she were in a dream and couldn't wake up. The crew members who passed her grew concerned at the far-away look on her face.

After that day, the crew saw neither hide nor hair of their captain. She locked herself up in her quarters and completely relinquished control of her ship to Chakotay until further notice. Chakotay began growing worried about Kathryn after about a month. It was unlike her to have so little interest in overseeing ship's activities herself. He finally got up the nerve two weeks after that to go visit her after his shift and find out what was wrong. He needed answers- and he was going to get them one way or another.

Kathryn was gazing distractedly out the windows in her quarters when her door chimed, a sound she had not heard in the last six weeks. "Who is it?" she called out, her voice telling Chakotay that she was completely numb right now from all the emotions running through her body.

"It's me, Chakotay," he replied. "Can I come in?"

A pause followed. Then Kathryn decided she needed to tell someone what was going on, and that Chakotay was probably the best person she could tell. She knew that he wouldn't be judgmental and that he would listen carefully and offer what comfort and support he could, even if he didn't understand fully.

"Captain?" came his voice again. "If you'd prefer to be alone…"

"Computer, set lights to the lowest setting," she whispered in a low voice as she heard Chakotay finish his statement with the words "I can leave, but know that I'll keep coming back until you let me in." When the lights had dimmed fully and he had finished, she spoke.

"No, Chakotay, it's all right; you can come in." She heard the door open.

"Captain, what's wrong?" Chakotay's soft voice said from the entrance to her quarters.

"Chakotay, we're alone here," Kathryn whispered softly. "Please call me by my name, and please continue to do so whenever we are in an informal setting."

"All right, Kathryn," he agreed. "Kathryn, you can tell me; you know that. You can always tell me if something's wrong… please, Kathryn, the whole crew is worried about you. You haven't even spoken to any of us in three weeks." She heard his footfalls, and knew he was coming toward her. His warm, gentle hand touched her arm, supplying comfort and giving her the strength to do what she knew she needed to, but feared she could not.

"Cha-Chakotay," she managed. Then she shivered. "Computer… raise the lights," she murmured softly, but it was loud enough that the computer detected her voice and brightened the lights a bit, just enough that Chakotay could see. Kathryn turned to face him, and at first he didn't notice any change. But upon closer inspection, he could see that her face had filled out slightly, and there was a slight bulge under the loose shirt she wore- after all, she wasn't on duty, so she had no need to wear her uniform. He raised his eyes to meet hers… and then he knew. His eyes searched hers questioningly. After all, it didn't seem possible. But Kathryn's next words only confirmed what he had guessed.

She dropped her eyes to the floor and whispered, "Chakotay, I… I'm pregnant."

OOOOOH, I BET YOU HAD NO IDEA! (is being sarcastic) Sorry. x.x Chapter 4 will be up as quick as I can write it! You'll see, and I bet you'll like Chapter 4... there will be more "Chakotay-chewing-out-Janeway" fun! XD I mean, don't get me wrong, I love them both, but that's why I like torturing them! Anyway, until Chapter 4... THIS IS MYLINDA ANTOINETTE, SIGNING OUT!


End file.
